UK - Madeleine McCann - Media overkill?

[pomegranate]

I've been steadily getting more and more bored of this news 'story', but the latest development has really got me rolling my eyes. Surely it's not just me that thinks the amount of news coverage and public sentiment is utterly out of proportion? Don't get me wrong, I have sympathy for the family, but it's really not that newsworthy. Dozens of people (including children) go missing every year in the UK, it's pretty unfair that the case of one child should get so much attention. It's not like there's ever such as thing as a slow news week lately. It's also incredibly boring to anyone who isn't susceptible to being manipulated by the news...

Background for people lucky enough to live where this isn't considered the most important news.

Thoughts?

 

[Cormeh]

I think this whole thing stinks. I can't put my finger on it, but the entire thing doesn't feel right.

Don't get me wrong, a 4 year old girl being abducted is nothing to be cynical about, I do hope that she's alive and will be returned.

On one side, it's good to get a lot of people involved to track her down, but all this media attention may put her in more danger from her abucters.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

People are like this. Ever heard of Jonbenet Ramsey?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonbenet

 

[Danimal]

I rarely get any coverage from this, then again I'm starting to watch less of the news as the days go by.

 

[Parrot of doom]

I'm continually amazed by the number of threads of people 'getting bored' with the fact that a little girl has gone missing.

If you don't like it, don't watch.

 

[HunterSeeker]

I'm continually amazed by the number of threads of people 'getting bored' with the fact that a little girl has gone missing.

If you don't like it, don't watch.

Its not that simple when you cannot go outside without being bombarded with this story.

 

[clarky003]

Well yeh, eveyone understands that so try not to watch I guess. But the point I agree with.

There was a 14 year old kid that went missing not so long ago in Wales and is still missing as far as I know, yet the Madeleine story is the focal point all of a sudden even though this kindof thing happens all the time. It's a horrible thing, and full sympathy goes towards people suffering from loosing their children, but it definately makes you wonder whats so special about this particular occurance so as the media is constantly ontop of it everyday.

 

[Parrot of doom]

Its not that simple when you cannot go outside without being bombarded with this story.

What, are people throwing newspapers in your face? Do you have a television glued to your nose?

If your daughter went missing, where would you draw the line? Wouldn't you want it on the news, every single day, until she was found? I would.

 

[pomegranate]

I'm continually amazed by the number of threads of people 'getting bored' with the fact that a little girl has gone missing.

If you don't like it, don't watch.

Sorry but I for one am actually concerned about what is in the news, it's kinda important. I can't just not watch.

What, are people throwing newspapers in your face? Do you have a television glued to your nose?

I'd like to be able to watch tv (particulary the news) or read a paper without hearing about it. It's irritating that it's pushed as being so important.

If your daughter went missing, where would you draw the line? Wouldn't you want it on the news, every single day, until she was found? I would.

As I said before, lots of daughters, sons, wives, husbands and parents go missing all the time. They don't get this sort of coverage. (Besides which, the rhetorical 'you' doesn't own the news). It's not balanced reporting, you don't seem to appreciate the importance of that. Don't you find something faintly ridiculous about someone meeting the Pope because their kid has gone missing?

What threads, anyway?

 

[-Psy-]

Hundreds of people go missing. Why is this case so important? This really is a media overkill. I'm sick of it! >

 

[Sulkdodds]

My problem is merely the disproportionate attention lavished on one child over what I'm sure are many others.

 

[Solaris]

I find the whole thing utterly insane. The whole ****ing country has gone mad.

In my town center there is a shrine for 'maddie' with yellow ribbons, flowers and teddies. People were crying as it was laid and alot of people are wearing those yellow ribbons. It makes me angry that people will get so emotionally involved when the press highlight it, but loads of little girls and boys are dying everyday and could be helped just by giving a little money to Oxfam instead of wearing that stupid ribbon.

 

[PvtRyan]

Yeah, crime mysteries are totally boring when you know whodunit. I dun it, and she's in my basement. Cry my dear Madeleine, cry, your tears provide me pleasure.

 

[Shift]

Of course its media overkill, the news love stories like this. I mean just the other day, meant to be the bloodiest day in Iraq since November 2004, with five Britains being kidnapped, AND STILL, they manage to fit it on the front page of the paper, talking about the womens anguish at leaving her twins behind or something. I mean, words fail me.

Its like when England were going off to Germany last summer for the world cup, sky news, followed thier coach from the training ground to the airport, for an hour, live. Then circled the airport for god knows how long, the watched as they got on the place, and then as the plane took off with commentry and everything, 'and their goes plane, down the runway, going, going, and gone, the England team have left for Germany'. Cheers, i didn't know...

 

[ComradeBadger]

I find the whole thing utterly insane. The whole ****ing country has gone mad.

In my town center there is a shrine for 'maddie' with yellow ribbons, flowers and teddies. People were crying as it was laid and alot of people are wearing those yellow ribbons. It makes me angry that people will get so emotionally involved when the press highlight it, but loads of little girls and boys are dying everyday and could be helped just by giving a little money to Oxfam instead of wearing that stupid ribbon.

Agreed.

Crocodile tears sicken me.

 

[Pulse]

Spoilers: She's most likely dead by this point.

Can we all get on with our lives now? Children are abducted every day yada yada yada.

 

[Ren.182]

I agree that all this media coverage is too much and it's unfair.

I don't think they deserve all of this attention tbh. I mean they left their three kids ALONE in their room whilst they went off for a drink with friends. All their kids were under 4. I mean what kind of parent does that? I know I wouldn't just leave my kids alone at that age to go for a drink.

I'd love for her to get found. But I doubt they will now. I bet the obductor has killed her and destroyed the body due to all of the media attention, it would be too risky for him to keep her.

Wonder how much longer all this will go on for?

 

[Cormeh]

Wonder how much longer all this will go on for?

Until she's found, alive or (hopefully not) dead. But the Sun and the like will milk it some more after that no doubt.

 

[Pulse]

The thing that sickens me the most about this over hyped media bullshit is that almost everyone is now profiting from it; JK Rowling is putting pictures of the girl in her future publications to boost sales, Branson gave donations for a good bit of PR and the parents got to visit the pope ffs.

If my kids ever go missing because I'm too incompetent to hire out a baby sitter or at least lock the ****ing doors to the apartment then I will expect the same treatment.

 

[Xendance]

People go missing everyday, but no one has caused such national outrage.
I think it was the way she was taken which got everyone talking. Four years old... left on her own with 2 other toddlers...

I hate to say it, but I fear she may be dead.

 

[Solaris]

Since she has gone missing, I'm pretty sure hundreds if not thousands of children her age have died that could have been saved from poverty, disease and famine if the same effort put into saving 'little maddie' had been directed somewhere useful. That's the bit that sickens me tbh.

It's like hate week out of 1984, where the media get everyone into this almost insane frenzy of hate, but instead its sadness but just as insane.

 

[Baal]

The picture of the kid says it all. She's a really cute kid...just one look at her picture makes a lot of people's hearts melt; but then to hear she was kidnapped, well, that enrages people, and we're pretty much witnessing where that leads right now.

I doubt there would be so much attention if she was really ugly. Her looks, compounded with the fact that the story is pretty tragic anyways, lead to the media overkill.

Simple enough, in my eyes.

 

[Solaris]

The picture of the kid says it all. She's a really cute kid...just one look at her picture makes a lot of people's hearts melt; but then to hear she was kidnapped, well, that enrages people, and we're pretty much witnessing where that leads right now.

I doubt there would be so much attention if she was really ugly. Her looks, compounded with the fact that the story is pretty tragic anyways, lead to the media overkill.

Simple enough, in my eyes.

And she's white, middle class, with respectable catholic parents.

 

[repiV]

I got sick of hearing about Madeleine McbloodyCann after about the first day.
It's completely proposterous. Especially when the news reports are entitled shit like "The search for Madeleine: day 12". It's like something out of Hello magazine. Erm, not that I would know anything about the content of Hello magazine, of course...

I actually wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be nothing more than an experiment to see just how extensively the media can manipulate public opinion.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

I hope shes found alive, but as has been said, its not fair that other parents don't get the same treatment as these ones when their kids are abducted.

 

[Baal]

And she's white, middle class, with respectable catholic parents.

I didn't want to mention the white thing...but yea, pretty much

 

[ftd1983]

Im sick and tired of this being in my face every day. I honestly dont give a **** that these 2 incompetents have been to see the pope. Fair enough I hope the girl turn up ok (doubt it) but I cant understand how them going to see the pope is news.

And i cant believe what an easy ride their getting considering they left 3 toddlers alone in an apartment anwyay. Imagine it was a single mother on benefits whod left her 3 kids alone and not 2 well to do, middle class doctors would we be seeing this outpouring of grief and sympathy? No chance.

 

[Parrot of doom]

Yes, they're getting an easy ride allright. Imagine how brilliant it would be to have one of your children abducted for God-knows-what.

Yeah, thats certainly an easy ride. I bet they're laughing their heads off.

Bloody bedroom experts.

 

[Baal]

And she's white, middle class, with respectable catholic parents.

As an aside to my last post:

I'm not so sure she was middle class. Two doctor parents would lead me to think upper class. :O

 

[Smoke]

Yeah, crime mysteries are totally boring when you know whodunit. I dun it, and she's in my basement. Cry my dear Madeleine, cry, your tears provide me pleasure.

Oh god, I laughed.

 

[CptStern]

And she's white, middle class, with respectable catholic parents.

yes and the media likes to celebrate stupidity so long as it fits the above criteria ..ffs the parents were completely ****ing irresposible ..I wouuld never dream of doing what they did ..I feel bad for the missing child ..but they entered themselves into a set of circumstances that they created rational reasonable GOOD parents would never have put their needs over their kids ..the fcuk any other circumstances the parents would have been charged with neglect ..my sympathies go towards the missing child but the parents are idiots who allowed this to happen ..I mean who in their right mind leaves 3 kids under the age of 4 unattended?

 

[Shift]

In a room with an unlocked shutter for easy access too, if there is an award for stupidity this year, ill give to them.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

I'm continually amazed by the number of threads of people 'getting bored' with the fact that a little girl has gone missing.

If you don't like it, don't watch.

I watch the news to watch something new everyday. Unfortunately thats not happening.

btw, have there been any confirmation that the last reported sighting of madeleine was in Morrocco?

 

[mortiz]

The parents met with the pope yesterday, as if that's going to help the situation. God isn't going to bring their kid back.

It is true, thousands of children die every week in Africa yet the world seems content to sit on their asses about that. Look at Darfur, is no one going to do anything?

The parents were idiots, no doubt about it. The media should just let the police do their job. Everyone knows about her and what she looks like (you'd have to have been living under a rock not to) so the media should simply let the police investigation take over.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I'm not so sure she was middle class. Two doctor parents would lead me to think upper class.

Upper class means 'aristocracy'. Blue blood. So no.

 

[ftd1983]

Yes, they're getting an easy ride allright. Imagine how brilliant it would be to have one of your children abducted for God-knows-what.

Yeah, thats certainly an easy ride. I bet they're laughing their heads off.

Bloody bedroom experts.

Not once have I seen anyone in the media mention how irresponsible these two have been. They left 3 toddlers alone while they went swanning off for a meal. This is a situation created entirely by their own stupidity yet no one in the papers or on tv seems to have mentioned this fact and their getting help (e.g. billionaires donating money) that other parents of missing children just dont get.

 

[Asknoone]

It's complete ****ing overkill at this stage. Children - or people in general - are dying all over the world right now, with each passing second, yet one child, who's parents were woefully irresponsible to the point of retarded, gets a whole boat-load of attention from people who have only take the slightest notice due to the overdone and completely boring media coverage. It truly annoys me to see people getting weepy over something that happens all the time; like Solaris said instead of wearing that ribbon go donate to Oxfam or something.

Hell, the Mirror has as its tagline "Pray for her." Ridiculous.

 

[Cormeh]

Mirror, lol.

Not as bad as the sun though: "Madeleine suspect in three-way romp with pool cleaners wife"

What? Who gives a ****?

 

[Baal]

Not once have I seen anyone in the media mention how irresponsible these two have been. They left 3 toddlers alone while they went swanning off for a meal. This is a situation created entirely by their own stupidity yet no one in the papers or on tv seems to have mentioned this fact and their getting help (e.g. billionaires donating money) that other parents of missing children just dont get.

I agree. They were being very irresponsible. They should have hired a nanny to go on the trip with them and take care of the children when the parents wanted to go off and do their own thing...that would have been the responsible thing to do.

Or better yet, a body guard of some sort. I don't trust foreign countries enough sometimes, though.

I know Hindsight is 20/20 of course, blah blah. I don't think it's unreasonable to have someone to look after your children though.

 

[Cormeh]

The bottom line is: don't leave children unattended. You just don't do it. No matter what the circumstance.